Watched For nineteen years
by Dolly-999
Summary: Every week night at 7 the average person sits infront of the TV to watch one of Australia's favorite soaps, Home and Away. Set in the fictional town of Summer bay, but what they don't know is that Summer bay is not at all fiction. Please read and review.
1. Introduction

_**Watched... For nineteen years.**_

_**What you don't know about Summer bay**_

_Introduction_

Every week night at seven the average person sits down in front of the television to watch one of Australia's favorite soap operas, Home and Away. Set in the fictional town of Summer bay, but what they don't know is that Summer bay is not at all fiction.

Welcome to Summer bay the town where every where you go your guaranteed to know someone and television is so rate that it's almost a crime to own one. But something they don't know is that for the last nineteen years Summer bay has been watched, cameras located in almost every home, office, building, fence post and even telegraph poles record hours and hours of footage of the communities every move, and the video footage is then sent to channel sevens studio located in the city of Sydney, but somewhere along the communication from the cameras to the studio, information has been changed, shuffled, deleted and added so much so that the number of times channel seven has got the lives of the community of Summer bay wrong are uncountable, and it would probably easier for me to just tell you what they did get right.

So if they've got it wrong then what really happened...

That's just the introduction, please tell me if you want to read more, theres no use in me writing it if nobody reads it.


	2. Mistake 1, part a

_Mistake 1, part a._

Roo (Ruth) Stewart, or should I say Roo Macklin sat in the living room of her home which she shared with her husband Brett Macklin and six year old daughter Martha. Ever since she had met Brett her life had become complicated, sighing she got up and went to the kitchen to start making dinner, when Brett got home from work, dinner would be expected to be waiting on the table for him, six thirty sharp, no later, no earlier, just like everything else with him it had to be what he said when he wanted it. Come to think of it he was still the same as when she met him, and to be honest the only reason she even spoke to him was to make herself out to be something, something she felt she wasn't. Maybe she should of specified what that something she wanted was, cause she had gotten something not what she wanted, but it was something, something destructive, something that got so out of hand that she was pregnant before she even knew the truth about him and after Martha was born she had no choice but to insure her child's future and marry him, he didn't love her, he just love the fact that he had a way of twisting her arm just the amount needed to make her do anything, and that anything didn't just stop with his demands for dinner on time or for the house to be spotless when he arrived, it had gotten so out of hand that Martha, his own daughter was to be out of his sight until after dinner and then she was to be put to bed only seeing him long enough to say got night. He was self centered, coming and going as he pleased, sometimes for weeks just because he didn't feel like putting up with her, or because the girl from work that Roo knew nothing about was more as he liked to call it, classy.

'How did I get myself into this mess' Roo thought to herself, well that was actually a stupid question though, she knew exactly how she go into this, she'd just been focusing on one thing instead of the consequences. If only she'd just tried her best to get along with her new step mother Alicia, then maybe it wouldn't have gotten so far out of hand that her own father had to turn his back on her and send her far away to boarding school.

She didn't know what had happened to her life, it was just like yesterday she had been a fourteen year old girl with a father she could tell anything to, and then that, that, that... arrrrr, why did he even have to fall in love with her in the first place, she was his daughter and he choose Alicia over her! 'As soon as she came along my life got complicated' she told herself, she was right too, she was pregnant at fifteen, married soon after to someone that deep down she would of hated if her circumstances had been different, and now at twenty one her life had still gone nowhere, well that was probably exaggerated slightly, she loved her daughter Martha, right from the bottom of her heart, that was the reason why she married Brett in the first place and kept holding herself together and dealt with him as best she could, making sure that Martha knew as little as possible about what her father was really like.

"I'm home" Brett's voice called from the front door.

"It's only six though" Roo replied, her heart skipped a beat in fear, she hated it when he came home early.

"Yeah I called you and left a message. Didn't you get it?"

'Oh, no' Roo thought to herself, this was most likely going to turn into a screaming match. "No, I didn't get any messages today".

"Oh, ok" Brett said putting his keys down on the edge of the bench and then looked at the table. "Where's dinner?"

"It's coming".

"Well I'm home so it should already be here" he told her raising his voice.

A rush of fear ran through her again, if the yelling wasn't bad enough that business suit he was always in made it even harder to get through to him, unlike most business men, Brett didn't have a work mood and a home and family mood, it was always just the same old heartless, money making, self centered, vain, clod blooded man her was. 'Ok Ruth pull yourself together, you can handle him, just like you've handled him in the last six years'. "Look Brett, I do my best to get your dinner on the table when you want it, now you can't expect me to be a mind reader who knows ever day that your going to decide to show up here early" she yelled, relaxing her shoulders in satisfaction on how that all came out.

Brett just sighed impatiently and sat down with his back turned to her, "very well then".

Roo just smiled, she'd gotten the better of him, which wasn't exactly an everyday event, the last time she could remember being the one with the last word was about a month ago. "I thought you said you canceled that meeting this afternoon" she started, trying to make some sort of conversation.

"Well some important issues came up that need to be addressed" Brett explained, not sounding to least bit concerned about what he had missed.

"You know Martha was devastated when you didn't show up to see her".

"It was a ballet recital not the end of the world, I'm sure she'll live" looking up for a second from the newspaper he had started reading.

"You just don't give a damn do you Brett, she's your daughter, our daughter, doesn't that mean anything to you?" Roo exclaimed, getting more and more worked up, how could anyone be so heartless?

"Yes, I just had more important things to do".

"No, Brett, you didn't, our little girl doesn't even know you cause you don't give a stuff about even asking how she is every once and a while, you spent every fathers day off on business trips, had extra work on her birthday and the least you could of done was taken five minutes to talk to her over the phone, but you didn't did you".

"Look, Ruth, I put a roof over both of your heads, so don't you start with me about who does what".

"I wasn't talking about money, I was talking about Martha, but she obviously isn't anything to you, all you care about is money" Roo screamed, no realizing that Martha was in the next room listening to the whole thing.

"I don't have to put up with this" Brett explained in a low harsh voice before storming out.

Roo, felling more stressed then she had in the last week, sighed and sat down at the table, berrying her face in her hands. "Mummy" Martha started as she came into the room with tears running down her face, "is daddy coming home this time?"


	3. Mistake 1, part b

_part b._

The next day Martha sat at the desk in her kindergarten class room next to her best friend Tasha Osbourne. "Martha are you ok?" Tash asked.

"No, Mummy and Daddy had another fight last night" Martha started.

"Oh, I hate it when my Mummy and Daddy fight, they don't stop, and then some how my name always gets mentioned, and they don't even think I can hear them" Tash told her (Angie Russel and Ian Osbourne stayed together when they had Tash).

"Yeah they used my name a lot last night, Mum was going on about how he didn't show up at the recital yesterday".

"Did you want him to come?"

"Yeah, he never comes to anything, he just sits at work, even your dad came yesterday".

"Girls do you need any help?" their teacher Miss Brown asked as she walked past their desks.

"No thank you miss" Tasha answered.

Back at the Macklin's house Roo was sitting at the table next to the kitchen frustratingly tapping her long polished nails against the surface of the circular table, she'd been sitting there all night, dozing off for most of it waiting for Brett to come home, she had it all sorted, it wasn't going to be like this anymore and she honestly didn't know why she'd put up for him all these years, the only time she'd gotten up was to get Martha ready for school that morning. But then she could hear the door open and the sound of Brett's business shoes against the tiles. "Well that was record timing, usually your not back for days at the least" Roo commented in a straight voice, not even turning to face him. Brett didn't say anything he just walked into the kitchen and started making a coffee. "Brett About last night" Roo started again.

"What about it?" he asked harshly.

Roo, holding herself together strongly stood up before answering. "I've had enough" she told him, in the same tone he had said the same words in last night.

Brett looked up, shocked, in all the six years of their marriage he'd never hear her say that, or anything of the sort, "what do you mean?"

"I mean, I've had enough of you Brett. The last six years have only ever been about you and what you want, never a slight consideration for me or Martha" she started. Brett went to open his mouth but Roo go a word in before him "and don't you even start about money". There was a moment of silence, Brett didn't know what to say, she'd stumped him, just like she had last night. "Look Brett, ether you start acting like a part of this family and stick around or leave, and don't come back, what your doing to this family is disgraceful and it has to stop, and it will stop, starting from right now".

Please review and tell me what you think, even if you don't like it, I'd love to hear from you.


	4. Mistake 1, part c

_Part c._

Brett still couldn't say anything, his coffee had already gone cold without him even taking a sip, he poured it down the sink. taking in what his wife had just said and then walked over to the table and sat down next to her, she'd never handed it to him like that, and he never thought she'd have the guts to. "Do you really want me gone?" he said fairly softly.

"Well that really depends" she started.

"Depends on what?"

"Depends on weather your going to start acting like a normal husband and father would" she explained. "Brett?"

"Yeah, what is it?"

"Why did you marry me?" she asked, she'd never actually asked this question, she just presumed the answer. Brett didn't answer and Roo looked at her hands where they were rested on the table, one over the other. "It's cause of Martha wasn't it".

"Yeah" he replied softly, his eyes were watery, the last six years of his life had taken him nowhere, and at the end of the day, he had no real family to show for all his hard work, well he had a family, but he didn't even know them, the way he was surprised at how his wife could handle things just five minutes ago had just shown him that. "How did we get here?"

"Your asking me? Brett I was a small town girl rebelling from her father, you were rich business student" she explained, her eyes also watery, "we were kidding our selves really, but before we realized it I was pregnant".

"And you weren't willing to take the easy way out" Brett added.

"Brett I couldn't, I couldn't get an abortion, you know that, I couldn't live with myself".

"Yeah I know" he replied, it was one of the few things he knew about her.

"Why did you come back?" Roo asked after a few moments of silence between the tow of them.

"What do you mean?"

"Back before Martha was born, way did you come back?"

Brett sighed. "Honestly?"

"Yeah honestly".

"Look Ruth, as much as we didn't get along after you refused to get an abortion, I couldn't live not knowing if you and little Martha were going to be ok fending for your selves".

Roo was shocked, he'd never acted like that, he'd acted more like, like... I don't know but he defiantly didn't act like he'd chosen to stay with her. "Really?"

"Yes, really, I promise".

"What are we going to do now" Roo asked .

"I don't know, but we can only fix things if we both want to".

"Or if it's actually fixable" Roo added. "Look Brett I said it before, and I'll say it again, we were kidding ourselves. And were still kidding ourselves now, do you honestly think it's going to work?" Brett was speechless, she was absolutely right, he couldn't get any words out, he just shook his head, but it was enough to say it all. "So that's it?" she asked softly, keeping her head slightly down.

"I guess so" he said before getting up, but before he walked away he lent down and kissed her on the head lightly. "I'll pack, but don't think this means I'm not going to make sure you and Martha get everything you need, that was my intentions in the first place, and I'm not leaving that idea behind".

Roo just nodded, this really was the end this time, she was releaved in some ways but even though her burden had been lifted, she couldn't help but feel hurt.

Ok that's the end of mistake one, I'll start mistake two next month after I get back from my holiday in Queensland.

Please review.


	5. Mistake 2, part a

_Mistake 2, part a._

"Oh my goodness" Beth hunter exclaimed in shock in the living room of the country house five minutes out of town from Summer bay she lived in with her husband Jack and their six children, the oldest Scott, then came Kit, Robbie and triplets Henry, Matilda and Ellie. "How did it happen?" she asked, her voice was a dead give away of how terrified she was, but they didn't explain, they just said "Were not sure yet, I think you should come in and see for yourself Mrs Hunter".

"Oh, ok" she agreed, still unsure of what layed ahead, hanging up the phone. She was still in shock, her eyes were watery, worried for the safety of her three youngest children, they were only four, still with innocence, and a sense of no fear. Anything could happen to them.

"Mum, mum look at this" six year old Robbie said running through the house wit mud in his feet and hands with a frog captured in the palms of his hands, leaving the back door open.

"Not now, we have to go" Beth said as calmly as possible to him, looking at the muddy foot prints on the wooden floors, trying not to make him upset or worried. "Where's Scott and Kit?"

"Well Kit's out trying to catch one of the sheep cause Scott told her that if she caught one then she'd it would undo the bad luck for the next seven years she got when she broke a mirror yesterday, I don't know where Scott is though, he's probably watching Kit from behind the shed, laughing himself to death".

"Arrr, sometimes I wonder how that boy comes up with his crazy idea's at the worst times" Beth said frustratingly, "Now look at all this mess".

"I'm sorry mum". The frog in his hands croaks and jumps out of Robbie's hands leaving the house through the open door leaving an extra set of muddy foot prints on the floor.

"Look never mind go and wash that mud off you and I'll find Kit and Scott" she instructed going out the back door.

"Kit, Scott" Beth yelled out.

"Ah got it!" Kit said excitedly when she finally caught the sheep she'd been chasing.

"Kit" Beth yelled again.

"Yeah Mum" she called back.

"We need to go, where's Scott?"

"I don't know".

"I'm here" Scott yelled coming out from the shed.

"Were you watching me the whole time?" Kit asked sounding annoyed.

"Yeah" Scott laughed, "I can't believe you were stupid enough to believe me".

"Hey that's not fair" Kit screamed.

"You tow we don't have time for this, we need to go, now" Beth told them.

"Were are we going Mum?" Scott asked.

"I'll explain on the way, we really need to go".


	6. Mistake 2, part b

Hey guys, sorry I haven't updated this in ages, I'm just trying to get back into the story so this is only as short chapter.

_Part b._

"Daddy, daddy wake up" four year old Matilda Hunter cried shaking her father's harm where he lay unconscious in a hospital bed in a room with her twin brother Henry and twin sister Ellie both in their hospital beds too.

The door opened and a nurse came in surprised to see the young girl awake and out of bed, "Matilda, what are you doing out of bed, you need to rest, you've been in an accident".

"I don't want to go to bed, I want my dad and my brother and sister back" she sobbed.

"Their just sleeping sweet heart, like you should be too. Your mum will be here soon" the nurse explained, picking Maddie up and putting her back in the hospital bed that sat in between Henry and Ellie's. She pulled the covers over her to keep her warm, you could tell just by looking at her eye's that she knew something was really wrong.

"Sweetie" Beth exclaimed as she came through the door of the room.

"Mummy" Maddie screamed running to her mum and wrapping her arms around her legs.

"What's going on?" Beth asked the nurse.

"They were all found unconscious in a burning shed down at the pony club" the nurse told her.

"Are they going to be ok?"

"Um, I think you should come with me for a minute and leave Matilda to get some rest" she said stepping out the door. "Beth, your husband is in a very critical condition" she started.

"What do you mean?"

"It seems that something has triggered his cardiovascular system, he hasn't been breathing by himself since before he was found".

"But he's still alive isn't he?" Beth asked nervously.

"At the moment yes, but were not sure he's going to make it".


	7. Mistake 2, part c

_Sorry about the long wait guys, I've been very busy with my other fic's, I'll try my best to keep updating, but I can't promise anything._

_Part c._

"I need to get someone in here right now!" a nurse yelled from the room Jack and the triplets were in.

"Ok" the doctor who was talking to Beth answered quickly.

"What's going on?" Beth asked, in shock from the sudden level of nose and beeping coming from her husbands room.

"I don't know yet" the doctor answered as fast as she could before rushing off. "What happened?"

"He's stopped breathing, he's gone into a cardiac arrest".

"Ok starting compressions-" the doctor started, but then things got worse when the beeping from the machine turned into one long beep.

"All brain activity has stopped" the nurse announced sadly.

------------------------------------------------

"We have gathered here today to say a final good bye to Jack Hunter" the priest spoke clearly through the crowd of people, "a much loved father, husband and friend" he continued from where he stood in front of the grave that held the dead body of Jack Hunter.

At the front of the crowd stood Beth, her eyes were so full with tears that the world was a blur, her children were surrounding her, she could feel their hands in her's, but she couldn't see them. She never imagined her life without Jack, not once, but now, he was gone forever, and nothing was going to bring him back.

------------------------------------------------

Beth fell to her knees in front of Jack's grave, the funeral had finished about ten minutes ago and most of the people had left to go to the wake. She staired at the tomb stone, newly engraved with Jack's name and some other information about him, she never thought she'd see this sight until her old age, she'd planned to watch her children grow with him by her side, and then their grandchildren, and they'd get old together, and die peacefully, but it had happened a lot sooner and painfully than ether of them had ever though.

Jack had only passed away a week ago, she still remembered the morning of the day he and the triplets were in the accident, they'd been away a bit earlier than usual, the kids were still in bed and the house was quiet, it was just the two of them enjoying each other's company in each other's arms lying on the couch. They'd talked about the future for their family, taking the kids overseas, getting a bigger farm and other things like that.

A tear ran down her cheek, they'd never go on that holiday, they'd probably never get a bigger farm now ether, now that Jack was gone everything had changed. "Why did you have to leave? I don't want to live without you, I need you, we all need you Jack" she sobbed, her tears getting so thick that the engraving in the tomb stone was blurry.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked around to Shelly Sutherland who was standing there, Shelly was her best friend who lived on the farm next to them with her Husband Rhys and there three kids Dani, Kirsty and Jade.

"Shell why did this have to happen?" Beth asked trying to stop her crying.

"I don't know, I don't know" Shelly whispered, holding Beth tight, "I'm so sorry Beth, you didn't deserve to lose him".

_Please review._


	8. Mistake 3, part a

Hey guys, sorry about the long wait, I've been really busy. Here's the next mistake, hope you enjoy it.

_Mistake 3, part a_

Nineteen year old Amanda Vale staired out of the glass window of the bus to Summer bay. She didn't know what she would do when she got there, probably find some cheep rent and try and get money any way she could. Beside her sat her five year old daughter Belle fiddling with the strap of her bag looking incredibly bored. Belle's father had disappeared a soon as Amanda had told him she was pregnant, she was only fourteen, just been kicked out of home and jobless.

Things hadn't been to great since then, she'd found a part time job that she could do after school hours and she'd been sharing a rental house with some other girls slightly older than her that had left home. She ended up pulling out of school after year ten, by then Amanda had already started to worry about how she was going to continue to afford to look after Belle, although the little girl had was fairly well looked after, she still was going to need more as she grew up.

Sometimes she wondered why things had turned out like this, as a kid she grew up in a rich family and had everything she ever wanted and more, but one thing got her kicked out of all that, not that she'd have life any other way now, she'd rather have her daughter Belle than all the money in the world. Hopefully things would get better though, after working at the supermarket for a few years she'd found enough money for her to go to tafe to do a hairdressing course, not that that got her much money but it was enough, well it was enough till she ended up getting fired just last week, that's why she was coming to summer bay, by what she had heard it was small and out of the way, hopefully that would mean that the guy who got her fired wouldn't be able to do that again, he'd got her fired from five jobs so far, it was like he didn't have a heart, he knew very well that she needed the money, but that never stopped him.

"Mummy are we there yet?" Belle asked innocently, carelessly tossing her bag strap aside before giving out a sigh, leaning her elbows on her knees and placing her chin on her hands.

"Almost sweetheart, see look there's the welcome sign" Amanda told her cheerfully, pointing out the bus window at the sign.

"Why don't they put pictures on it mummy? it looks boring" Belle winged.

"I don't know, maybe they didn't want the whole town to know that they couldn't draw to save themselves" she suggested, making Belle chuckle.

"Well I'm sure I could of drawn some good pictures for them" Belle huffed.

"I'm sure you could" she said giving her daughter a small smile and squeezing her little hand, "It's going to be great here, I just know it will".

------------------------------------------------

"Martha" Roo called out throught the house from the kitchen, "Martha your going to be late for school" she tried again, "Martha I'm loosing my patients, Hurry up or your going to be very late" she yelled, making her way down the hall way and opened the door of the seven year olds bedroom.

"Mummy do I have to go to school?" Martha winged where she sat on the edge of her bed in a sook.

"Yes you do, look I've met your new teacher and she's very nice, ok?"

"But I don't want to be in grade two".

"Well I'm sure your going to love it sweety, and guess what?"

"What?" Martha asked in curiosity.

"I checked with the principal and you and Tash are both in the same class this year" she exlained, last year the school had had the guts to separating the two best friends into different classes, and Martha hadn't been very happy at all.

"Really?"

"Yeap, so why don't you hurry up, the bus should be here any minute".

"Ok" Martha smiled like a kid in a lolly shop, racing to grab her back and get out the door.

------------------------------------------------

Amanda lead Belle along the foot path next to the beach with Belle's hand in one hand and a newspaper in the other. "Come sit down sweetheart" she told her patting a spot next to her on a wooden seat along the side of the foot path.

Sighing she flicked through the newspaper to the job section, "Ok what do we have here... to many qualifications needed... and again... oh gosh how am I ment to get a job?" Amanda asked out loud in frustration.

"Mummy?"

"Yes sweety?"

"Where are we going to sleep tonight?" she asked with a twinkle of hope in her eyes.

"I don't know sweety" she answered sadly, "I really don't know".

_Please review, I'll try and write more when I have at least 2._


End file.
